Pervez Musharraf Dies Of Amyloidosis: 5 Points On Rare Disease

According to John Hopkins,  Amyloidosis is a rare disease that affects the heart, kidneys and liver. It occurs when a protein called amyloid builds up in organs and leads to impairment of their functioning. Such deposits can happen in the brain, kidneys, heart and spleen, and patients can experience it in one or several organs.

Amyloidosis may be secondary to a different health condition or can develop as a primary condition. It can also happen due to mutation in a gene, but at other times the cause of amyloidosis remains unknown.

Patients ailing from this rare disease experience tiredness, unexplained weight loss, shortness of breath, swelling in the abdominal area, legs, ankles and feet, tingling sensation or numbness in limbs, increased tongue size, purple spots on the skin around the eyes and unusual bleeding after injuries. 

As per John Hopkins, almost 70 percent of people with amyloidosis are men. Some forms of Amyloidosis are more likely to even strike people living with infections or other conditions that cause chronic inflammation. 

Currently, there is no cure for amyloidosis. However, the condition can be managed with treatments like chemotherapy and stem cell transplant. Patients can also be treated using drugs and careful dietary restrictions, such as reducing salt intake. But without treatments, the disease can lead to organ failure.